As a youth, the future apostle of Brazil, Padre Jose de Anchieta [16th cent.], was happy and well liked.  “Jose nevertheless was frequently sad and melancholy.  In his restless moods he sought solitude for prayer and meditation: his soul yearned for something more than ordinary piety, knowledge and affection.  When that spirit seized him, he would leave his arduous studies and walk along the banks of the Mondego, finding in its beauty release to contemplate the tragedy of human weakness.  After one of these excursions of hungry searching, Jose entered the Cathedral of Coimbra.  As he knelt in the deep, shadowy silence before the image of the Virgin, he suddenly found the peace and joy for which he yearned.  The vague longing that had disturbed and at times consumed him now took shape as a desire to dedicate his life to the service of God…” (Helen G. Dominian, Apostle of Brazil, p. 6)